Obligations
by Link015
Summary: When you grow, you get more and more responsibilities. You're expected to do more things. What if you have to grow up way too fast? What if all you want is to stay the same...


Chris: Just felt like it.

Disclaimer: Don't own Fire Emblem.

* * *

**Obligations**

Eliwood sat at a wooden table outside of Castle Pherae, nursing a cold mug of beer in his hands. _His_ castle, he remembered dismally. It still stung that his father wasn't around to celebrate with him. The red-haired lord would have felt a lot cheerier if his father was there, laughing and joking around with his mother. But he was gone now. Eliwood sipped slowly from his mug, looking out on the proceedings.

'_Well…I'm about to become the Marquess…I guess I should be happy. Everyone else is.'_ Eliwood took another drink and sighed sadly. The lord just didn't feel happy that he was going to have to shoulder this new responsibility. But it was his time, and he could never fight time and win. Time always moved forward, never moving backwards, never stopping even for a second.

"Hey Eliwood! Wait, I mean, hey Marquess Pherae!" Hector walked up jauntily, holding up a bottle of what Eliwood presumed was wine in one hand and a glass in the other.

"Hey Hector." Eliwood felt a small smile creep onto his face. It was weird. No matter how down he felt, Hector could always cheer him up. Well, kind of. It was probably because Hector acted like a doofus when he was drunk. Now that he thought about it, his friend usually wasn't drunk when he acted like an idiot. Probably some sort of strange quality of Hector's.

"So, how does it feel being the new ruler of a province in Lycia?" Hector slammed the bottle on the table, shaking it. The blue-haired lord sat down next to his friend and grinned.

"Stop it. You're reminding me of Matthew."

"Sorry 'bout that." Hector changed his expression so he looked thoughtful for a couple of seconds before bursting out laughing. Eliwood quickly joined him.

"You looked like Erk then!"

"And that's even worse!" Hector laughed again and wiped some tears away from his ears. "But back to business. How does it _really_ feel to be the Marquess? I think I should study, because I'm gonna be one."

"Right…Your brother passed away…" Eliwood looked down. Hector snorted and poked Eliwood.

"Don't ruin the mood. I know my brother, and he wouldn't have wanted us moping over him, got it?" Hector shook his head. "Now, answer my question."

Eliwood sighed. "I…I don't know. A small part of me welcomes this change and says that it'll be good for me. But the rest…Well, I just don't feel like it. I know it's my duty and all, but I feel as if this is going to fast. I always envisioned that I'd be Marquess when my father passed away from old age, not when he was killed."

"I see…" Hector poured a generous portion of wine in the glass that he had brought along. "Continue."

"That's it, actually. I'll do it, and I'll be the Marquess willingly, but part of me wants to stay the way I am now. I don't want to have this responsibility. I want to remain how I am now. Without many cares and just living the life that I always envisioned I would live. Is that so wrong?" Eliwood turned to his friend. Hector shook his head.

"Nope. I've often felt the same way. Why'd you think I want to your aid? My brother was pestering me about being more Marquess-like. I thought it would be better to disappear for a while and live how I've always wanted to. In the outdoors, where I can only depend on my strength and the strength of my friends." Hector raised his glass. "A toast! To childish yearnings!"

Eliwood smiled and clinked his mug against Hector's glass. "Thanks a lot, man."

"No problem." Hector grabbed the wine battle and got out of his seat. "You still look a little down though. Want me to throw your girlfriend your way?"

"Knowing you, you'd throw her here literally." Eliwood thought about it for a second. "Nah…Maybe later. I still need some time to think alone."

"Got it. Now…Who else to talk to? …Ah! Florina!" Hector raised his bottle to the orchid-haired pegasus knight, who let out a little 'Eep!'. Florina tried to restrain her urge to run away and succeeded, but then that took up so much of her energy that her whole body was shaking and she was stuttering like…Well, no one could really stutter as much as her.

Eliwood grinned and returned to his thinking. _'…Why can't I be carefree forever…? It's a wonderful feeling. You don't need to do anything. You don't need to worry about anything except what you're going to do next. Of course, it also makes you lazy…But…'_ He took another sip and shook his head. "Enough of this moping…I'm going to see what everyone's doing."

He walked through the castle gardens, watching his friends frolic, in a matter of speaking. Sain was actually on the ground, being sick. Apparently, he drank too much, as seen by the multi-colored puddle that was steadily growing larger. Eliwood quickly sidestepped around the sick, in more ways than one, cavalier and continued on his journey. Where he came across Erk and Serra. It was easily concluded that Erk was really drunk. Not because he was holding an empty beer can in his hands and there were cans littering the landscape, but in the fact he was with Serra. Think about it. You'd probably have to be drunk if you wanted to hang out with her. Just kidding to all Serra fans.

"H-H-Hey Jellywood! (hic) W-What flavor are you? (hic)" Erk burst out laughing, leaning against Serra, who was also laughing. Eliwood just sweatdropped and quickly walked away from the two. He was continuing his journey, careful to not step on any beer cans and vomit when he heard some people talking.

"W-Well…If you _want_ to kiss me…" That was Priscilla.

"No way! Not until Heath beats me in mortal combat!" Apparently, that was Guy.

"I'm going to kill both of you before you kiss Priscilla." That was…Well, you probably know who that is.

"Works with me!" Heath. Duh. He was the only one that hadn't spoken yet and his name was mentioned, so it had to be Heath. Besides, he also is one of the people who had a support ending with Priscilla.

"Please stop! You're going to hurt yourselves!" Priscilla, the peacekeeper.

"Sorry, Priscilla, but this is war!" Guy again.

"Die, fools!" Raven, of course. Who else would say, 'fools', huh?

Eliwood quickly rushed up, intent on stopping them from fighting when he stopped, confused. Raven, Guy, and Heath were sitting on the ground, grasping things that were made of a weird, dull material. Priscilla was standing nearby, looking worried. The…items that the guys carried were connected to a big box that was hooked up to an even bigger box. There were words showing up on the biggest box, which said, 'Mortal Kombat' and had some other gibberish on it. (If you know where this joke comes from, good for you.)

"I'm going to kill you, Raven!" That was Guy.

"I get winner!" You _better_ know who said that.

"Um…" Eliwood scratched his head and left, content on leaving the three fix their problems with the help of the big box. Eliwood continued walking, where he bumped into Fiora. Not literally, however funny that might have been.

"Hey Eliwood! Hector said that you were looking depressed!" Fiora smiled, her cheeks _not_ flushed because she was responsible enough to know when to stop drinking, unlike a brown-haired cavalier who was currently lying unconscious on his vomit. Poor Sain.

"Oh, hey Fiora." Eliwood smiled, while he grimaced mentally. _'Stupid Hector. I thought I told him to **not **bring my girlfriend into this. Wait…'_

_--- _

-FLASHY STUFF-

"_No problem." Hector grabbed the wine battle and got out of his seat. "You still look a little down though. Want me to throw your girlfriend your way?"_

"_Knowing you, you'd throw her here literally." Eliwood thought about it for a second. "Nah…Maybe later…"_

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-END FLASHY STUFF-_

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---_

'_Crap.'_ Eliwood sighed mentally. _'It's later, obviously. Curses. Hector's craftier than he looks.'_

"Eliwood. We've known each other for a long time. I'm sure you entrust me with whatever's bothering you, right? I _am_ your girlfriend…Right?" Fiora looked worriedly at Eliwood, who smiled at her.

"Well…Okay. I know a nice, secluded spot. I don't want anyone bothering us." Eliwood took Fiora's hand and led her away from the party. And no, he was not planning to do l33t things with her systemz. (Guess where I got this one. It's from the same place as the other one.) Don't be perverted. This is a PG-13 fic, yanno.

Back to the story and enough of breaking the 4th wall. Even though the 4th wall exists only to be broken. I'm a great omniscient/omnipresent narrator, aren't I? But I'm rambling again.

Eliwood led Fiora to a small clearing that was a small distance away from the party. Fiora placed her hand on top of his.

"_Now_ will you tell me what's bothering you?"

"Fiora…Have you ever wished that you could remain as you were forever? Like time wouldn't pass for you? You could remain at your age forever and nothing would change. Nobody would grow older and you could just live like you've always wanted to."

"Well, yeah. When I was a child, I dreamed of being a child forever. I'm certain everybody's felt like that at least some time in their life."

"Yeah…I guess." Eliwood looked at the grass below him and pulled out some of the grass distractedly. "It's happening to me. Now. Ever since I realized that I'm going to become the Marquess. It's going to fast…I'm not sure if I can handle the responsibility, the worries of being Marquess. I just want this time to last forever. To not have to take my father's place…"

"I see." Fiora looked at Eliwood. "You know that time will never stop, even for someone as handsome as you. Time is a harsh mistress."

Eliwood looked up. "I thought Time was personified as a man."

"Eh, in my mind, Time is a woman. Always moving and never content to lie on a couch like a slacker. Strict and unforgiving."

"Hmm…That does make a weird sort of sense." Eliwood smiled slightly. "Well, I guess you're right. If I don't fill that position, somebody wicked might take it and I would be letting my father down if I did that." He pushed himself up, but Fiora took his hand and pulled him down again.

"I'm glad you've realized that. You can never have time stop. You will never remain the same and your surroundings won't stay still just for you. Time will move on and you must move along as well. If you feel unsure or nervous of a new change, prepare yourself and you will succeed in all that you do." Fiora smiled. "I was kind of miffed that you said that you wanted to time stop for yourself and not for anyone else."

Eliwood froze. "Uh…Hehehe…Sorry, Fiora. I didn't mean to forget you!"

"I know you didn't." Fiora leaned in and kissed Eliwood on the lips. Eliwood returned the gesture and he was lost to all in the world except for Fiora. Which was a bad idea.

"Hey Eliwood! I have a proble-" Hector rushed to where Eliwood and Fiora were located. And froze when he saw what they were doing. "Oh shit! Sorry for bothering you!"

Eliwood and Fiora ignored Hector and continued their kissing. Hector sighed, scratched his head, whistled nervously, twiddled his thumbs, and even recited poetry before he ran out of patience.

"EXCUSE ME! BUT I HAVE A PROBLEM HERE!" Hector yelled at the top of his lungs and he finally managed to get Eliwood's and Fiora's attention.

Fiora looked up lazily and said, "What's the matter, Hector?"

"Ya see…I was talking to Florina, your sister, and she…well, you should see for yourself." Hector sighed and brought out a very disheveled Florina. "Your sister is quite interesting when she's bombed."

"You got my sister DRUNK?" Fiora leaped up, an angry fire in her eyes.

"Hey! It's not my fault!" Hector brought his hands up to ward off any blows. Of course, with no one holding on to Florina, she began to fall. Florina halted her drop by latching herself onto Hector's chest and began mumbling drunkenly.

"Explain!"

"Well, we were talking. Actually, I was talking. She was being extremely nervous. Anyway, she managed to stutter out the fact that she was thirsty so I gave her some punch." Hector chuckled. "How was I supposed to know Matthew spiked it?"

Fiora slapped her face, frustrated. "Great. Just great. Did she say anything embarrassing when she was drunk?"

"Yes. About me!" Hector's face grew slightly red. "Can you believe her? After a couple of moments, she was hanging onto my arm and gushing about how strong I was! It's scary, you know! And then she climbs on a table and starts to strip!"

"WHAT?" Fiora's and Eliwood's eyes bugged out.

Hector waved a hand at them. "Oh, I stopped her before she took anything important off. She only took off the ribbons she was wearing. Anyway, after I explained to her the reasons as to why she shouldn't strip; she starts singing an off-tune, off-key song! It's been like weeks of hell conveniently wrapped up in an hour of my time!"

While he was speaking, Florina, still drunk, was pushing herself up, using Hector as a crutch. Soon she was standing, or wobbling, and her arms were wrapped around Hector's neck. Hector, being the astute and observant lord that he was, completely missed the fact that Florina could easily cut off his oxygen supply and continued talking.

" 'Ector? (hic) 'Ector?" Florina mumbled, but Hector didn't hear her. Florina commenced the second part of her plan, which was to poke him on the shoulder. That didn't work, so she poked him harder, which finally provoked a reaction.

"Who keeps poking me?" Hector turned and found himself in front of a very, very, very drunk Florina. The girl's eyes were glazed over and there was a fierce blush spread across her cheeks.

"I! I…I lovsh you!" Florina jumped on the surprised lord and knocked him down. Hector flailed as he fell, protesting verbally in words that shouldn't be repeated. Florina started tickling the lord, for reasons that only she would know, completely oblivious to the fact that Fiora and Eliwood were standing there.

"Well, should we help your sister?" Eliwood looked to Fiora, who shook her head.

"Nah…She looks perfectly content. I have reason to believe that she's actually in love with that big lunk." Fiora groaned. "I'm going to have Hector as a brother by marriage. Crap."

"Hmm…Well, I'm sure the two of them will be very happy with each other." Eliwood felt a faint smile tug on his lips again. Even when he was trying to escape the grasp of a drunken woman, Hector was still as hilarious as ever.

"How do you know that?" Fiora looked at Eliwood, surprise on her face.

"I read his diary. Hector has a huge crush on Florina except he was too dense to admit it. Let's leave the two alone, shall we?" Eliwood took Fiora's hand and they walked off.

"Hey! Come back! You aren't just going to leave me, are you? Come on, Eliwood! I'm your friend! Hel-!" Hector's cries were cut off as Florina kissed him passionately on the lips.

_---_

The next day came, and Eliwood looked down at the group of people before him. Today was the day he was going to be Marquess Pherae. There were a lot of groans in the audience, due to the fact that hangovers were rampant in the army, because a certain thief spiked all of the drinks. Oh, how you've just got to laugh at the antics of thieves. Anyway…

A servant handed him a sword, one that was purely ceremonial and had no purpose being in a sheath or in a battle. Eliwood took the sword from the servant's hands and strapped the weapon to his waist. He looked down at the people who were standing in the front row of the ceremony.

There was Fiora, one of the few who wasn't suffering from a hangover. She was dressed in a lovely pink (It's LIGHT-RED!) gown and she was smiling at him. Next to her was her sister, Florina, looking dismal and miserable. Florina groaned again and rubbed her head softly, moaning to herself. The orchid-haired sister had on a dress of pale purple which made her look even more attractive. Hector was standing next to her, looking as happy as ever, and not suffering from any hangover because he can hold his liquor. One of his hands was holding Florina's hand and he was quietly whispering to her. He was dressed in a formal dress suit of dark blue and he had a red cape wrapped around his shoulders. Probably to mock the fact that Eliwood wore blue armor and had red hair.

Guy was standing next to Priscilla, beaming happily, probably because he won that contest from earlier. Behind him were Raven and Heath, both glaring daggers at him while massaging their sore heads. Apparently, they had gotten drunk after losing and now they were regretting it.

Eliwood turned his attention back to the servant, who had handed him a small circlet that signified his reign as Marquess. Eliwood slowly took it from the servant's hands and ran his fingers over the carved golden patterns on it. Eliwood took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Events from last night flashed through his head.

_---_

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-MORE FLASHBACK SHINY STUFF-_

"_I'll do it, and I'll be the Marquess willingly, but part of me wants to stay the way I am now. I don't want to have this responsibility. I want to remain how I am now."_

…

"_A toast! To childish yearnings!"_

…

"_Fiora…Have you ever wished that you could remain as you were forever? Like time wouldn't pass for you?"_

_…_

"_When I was a child, I dreamed of being a child forever. I'm certain everybody's felt like that at least some time in their life."_

…

"_You know that time will never stop, even for someone as handsome as you. Time is a harsh mistress."_

…

"_You can never have time stop. You will never remain the same and your surroundings won't stay still just for you. Time will move on and you must move along as well. If you feel unsure or nervous of a new change, prepare yourself and you will succeed in all that you do."_

_  
-END FLASHY FLASHBACK STUFF-_

_  
---_

Eliwood slowly placed the circlet on his head. It was a perfect fit. Eliwood looked out on the crowd of his friends and his subjects. _'Well…Looks like it's time…Time to fill my obligations and responsibilities…'_ He grinned. _'But that doesn't mean I can never be a child anymore!'_

"Thanks to you all, we've survived. I will never forget you all! And, as the new Marquess, I have something to say…" He paused, adding to the tension. Don't you hate it when people do that? "…I'm not sure if she knows how I feel…But Fiora!"

The pegasus knight looked up, surprised.

"Fiora! Will you marry me?" Eliwood leaped off of the stage and ran up to her, holding a small, velvet box. He was about to open it when Fiora placed a hand on his.

"Don't bother opening it…You know my answer is yes." Fiora smiled.

"Yahoo!" Eliwood leaped for joy and picked up Fiora, swinging her around him. Around him, the people let out a cheer. Which provoked a reaction, not necessarily a good one.

"SHUT UP! I'M HAVING A HANGOVER!" Raven clutched his head angrily. He poked Guy slowly in the back. "When I die…I'm going to haunt you to make sure that you don't do anything to my sister…"

Heath was on the ground, moaning softly and trying to block out his ears, valiantly wishing that he could just cut them off. Erk and Serra were luckier though. They cast a Silence spell, but manipulated it so it blocked out any sounds coming from everyone else. So, they effectively made a Deafness spell that would be used for years to come when suffering from a hangover.

Florina was cradled in Hector's arms, shivering and covering her ears, still looking pale. Sain…Well, Sain was sick. He was actually sick. Yeah. Sucks for him. Again. Drank too much.

Eliwood stopped swinging Fiora around and planted a quick kiss on her cheek. Fiora smiled again.

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah…"

"Good…First order of business…Getting someone to marry us. Got that?"

"Of course."

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Chris: Yep. Don't forget to guess where I got some of the gags from. Yep. You know what I'm gonna say already, but here it is again. Review please. 


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